Singapore is a small, wealthy island country in Southeast Asia. The capital city, also called Singapore, is so large and important that the country is often called a city-state.National anthem of Singapore

The island of Singapore lies south of the mainland part of Malaysia. A narrow body of water separates the countries. Singapore’s land is mostly low and flat. The country is very close to the equator. Its weather is hot, humid, and often rainy.

Some rain forests grow in the center of the island. Shrubs and grasses are more common. The animals of Singapore include the long-tailed macaque (a type of monkey) and the slow loris (a tailless primate). Squirrels, shrews, birds, cobras, and lizards also live in Singapore.

Most people in Singapore are Chinese, Malay, or Indian. The Chinese make up about three quarters of the population. Most of the Chinese are Buddhist, Daoist, or Christian. The Malays and some Indians follow Islam. Most Indians practice Hinduism. Singapore has four national languages: Malay, English, Chinese, and Tamil (a language of India).

Banking, communications, and other services are very important to the economy. Singapore also produces electronics, chemicals, machinery, petroleum (oil) products, and other goods. There is little space for farming. Singapore buys most of its food from other countries.

In early times traders traveling between India and China often passed through Singapore. For that reason Southeast Asian empires and Europeans controlled the island for many years. The British took over in the 1800s.

By 1959 Singapore had its own government. In 1963 Singapore joined Malaysia. Two years later Singapore separated from Malaysia to become fully independent.

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